A major fire engulfing multiple residential buildings in Tai Po has killed at least 13 people, including a firefighter, and injured over a dozen, the Fire Services Department (FSD) has said.

Firefighters continued to battle the blaze into Wednesday night, as authorities closed roads around Wang Fuk Court, where the fire broke out just before 3pm.

The FSD raised the alert to a No. 5 alarm – the highest – at 6:22pm.

Authorities have set up on a helpline on 2658 4040, and opened temporary shelters for affected residents.

The residential complex is home to around 4,000 people and has around 2,000 units – each of the eight towers were encased in temporary bamboo scaffolding. Whilst flames spread quickly across the scaffolding, starting at Wang Cheong House, the cause of the fire remains unknown.

Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung said the deceased firefighter, a 37-year-old surnamed Ho, belonged to the Sha Tin Fire Station and was dispatched to the scene at 3.01pm.

Ho was fighting the fire on the ground but lost contact with his team at around 3.30pm. Other firefighters discovered Ho, with burns on his face, on the ground outside Wang Cheong House at around 4pm and rushed him to Prince of Wales Hospital.

Chief Executive John Lee has held a cross-departmental emergency meeting in response to the blaze, the government said in a press release on Wednesday night. Lee expressed “extreme grief” over the death of the on-duty firefighter and sent his “deepest condolences” to the family of the deceased and those injured.

‘My heart aches’

On the scene, Mr Ng, a resident of Wang Fuk Court, told HKFP that he was at work earlier when he learned about the fire. His family, which included elderly members, evacuated from their flat safely.

The 40-year-old said he arrived in Tai Po at around 3:30pm and watched the buildings “catch on fire one by one.”

His eyes teared up as he watched the home he grew up in engulfed in fire. “My heart aches…” he said.

The housing estate is home to many elderly, Ng said. According to Ng, the bamboo scaffolding was put up as the decades old residential estate required large-scale maintenance. The maintenance work was set to be completed in three to six months, he said.

Another Wang Fuk Court resident, Ms Wong, told HKFP that she was grateful that her family were not at home when the fire broke out. Wong, who has lived on the estate for around four years, said the most precious items she lost in the fire were photographs, her children’s certificates and electronic devices.

She said she will be concerned about the building’s safety after the fire is put out, adding that the government should provide resettlement arrangements for those affected.

Temporary shelters

The Tai Po District Office has opened temporary shelters for residents evacuated from the blaze, including at Kwong Fuk Community Hall, Tung Cheong Street Community Hall, and CCC Fung Leung Kit Memorial Secondary School.

A help desk has also been set up at Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital for residents affected by the fire.

All lanes of a section of Tai Po Road near the fire site, as well as some nearby roads, have been closed, according to the Transport Department.

Last month, four people were hospitalised and dozens evacuated after a fire broke out on the bamboo scaffolding of a building in Central.

Wednesday marks the first time in 17 years since a No. 5 alarm has been raised – the last involved a fire at Cornwall Court in Mong Kok which left four dead.